Countering Common Misconceptions of Evolution in the Paleontology Classroom

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 109-122
Author(s):  
Keith B. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Temporal Pattern ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Evolutionary Trees ◽  
Teaching Evolution ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Evolutionary Science ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Scientific Testing ◽  
Evolutionary Continuity

Students will come to class with misconceptions about evolution and about the nature of science itself. Erroneous views that create obstacles to teaching evolution include: 1) that the fossil record does not support evolutionary continuity between different taxonomic groups; 2) that the expected temporal pattern of evolution is linear and ladder-like; and 3) that evolutionary hypotheses are not subject to scientific testing. These views negatively impact the understanding of evolutionary science, particularly paleontology, in a number of ways. It is important that these misconceptions be recognized and explicitly countered. If student's false ideas are left unaddressed, new knowledge presented in the classroom will likely simply be superimposed on, or integrated with them. Effective teaching thus requires that we not only impart new knowledge, but seek to correct previously held false ideas. This essay presents several teaching strategies that can address misconceptions about evolution. These include: 1) teaching important concepts in their historical context; 2) having students construct and interpret cladograms; and 3) showing that, when interpreted as evolutionary trees, cladograms make testable predictions of the fossil record.

A fossil record of land plant origins from charophyte algae

Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 373 (6556) ◽  
pp. 792-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul K. Strother ◽  
Clinton Foster
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Land Plant ◽  
Fossil Plants ◽  
Fossil Plant ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
History Of ◽  
Time Gap ◽  
Evolutionary Continuity

Molecular time trees indicating that embryophytes originated around 500 million years ago (Ma) during the Cambrian are at odds with the record of fossil plants, which first appear in the mid-Silurian almost 80 million years later. This time gap has been attributed to a missing fossil plant record, but that attribution belies the case for fossil spores. Here, we describe a Tremadocian (Early Ordovician, about 480 Ma) assemblage with elements of both Cambrian and younger embryophyte spores that provides a new level of evolutionary continuity between embryophytes and their algal ancestors. This finding suggests that the molecular phylogenetic signal retains a latent evolutionary history of the acquisition of the embryophytic developmental genome, a history that perhaps began during Ediacaran-Cambrian time but was not completed until the mid-Silurian (about 430 Ma).

ACloudina-like fossil with evidence of asexual reproduction from the lowest Cambrian, South China

2017 ◽  
Vol 154 (6) ◽  
pp. 1294-1305 ◽  
Author(s):  
JIAN HAN ◽  
YAOPING CAI ◽  
JAMES D. SCHIFFBAUER ◽  
HONG HUA ◽  
XING WANG ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Asexual Reproduction ◽  
South China ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Tube Wall ◽  
Shaanxi Province ◽  
Branching Structures ◽  
Southern Shaanxi ◽  
Wall Construction ◽  
Evolutionary Continuity ◽  
Evolutionary Fate

AbstractThe earliest fossil record of animal biomineralization occurs in the latest Ediacaran Period (c. 550 Ma).CloudinaandSinotubulitesare two important tubular taxa among these earliest skeletal fossils. The evolutionary fate ofCloudina-type fossils across the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition, however, remains poorly understood. Here we report a multi-layered tubular microfossilFeiyanella manicagen. et sp. nov. from a phosphorite interval of the lowest Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation, southern Shaanxi Province, South China. This newly discovered fossil is a conical tube with a ‘funnel-in-funnel’ construction, showing profound morphological similarities toCloudinaandConotubus. On the other hand, the outer few layers, and particularly the outermost layer, ofFeiyanellatubes are regularly to irregularly corrugated, a feature strikingly similar to the variably folded/wrinkled tube walls ofSinotubulites. TheFeiyanellatubes additionally exhibit two orders of dichotomous branching, similar to branching structures reported occasionally inCloudinaand possibly indicative of asexual reproduction. Owing to broad similarities in tube morphology, tube wall construction and features presumably indicative of asexual reproduction,Cloudina, Conotubus, Sinotubulitesand the here describedFeiyanellamay thus constitute a monophyletic group traversing the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary. The tube construction and palaeoecological strategy ofFeiyanellaputatively indicate evolutionary continuity in morphology and palaeoecology of benthic metazoan communities across the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition.

Fungi from the Rhynie chert: a view from the dark side

2003 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. N. Taylor ◽  
S. D. Klavins ◽  
M. Krings ◽  
E. L. Taylor ◽  
H. Kerp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Host Responses ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Early Devonian ◽  
Mycorrhizal Associations ◽  
Rhynie Chert ◽  
Complex Ecosystem ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Fungal Interactions

ABSTRACTThe exquisite preservation of organisms in the Early Devonian Rhynie chert ecosystem has permitted the documentation of the morphology and life history biology of fungi belonging to several major taxonomic groups (e.g., Chytridiomycota, Ascomycota, Glomeromycota). The Rhynie chert also provides the first unequivocal evidence in the fossil record of fungal interactions that can in turn be compared with those in modern ecosystems. These interactions in the Rhynie chert involve both green algae and macroplants, with examples of saprophytism, parasitism, and mutualism, including the earliest mycorrhizal associations and lichen symbiosis known to date in the fossil record. Especially significant are several types of specific host responses to fungal infection that indicate that these plants had already evolved methods of defence similar and perhaps analogous to those of extant plants. This suggests that mechanisms underlying the establishment and sustenance of associations of fungi with land plants were well in place prior to the Early Devonian. In addition, a more complete understanding of the microbial organisms involved in this complex ecosystem can also provide calibration points for phylogenies based on molecular data analysis. The richness of the microbial community in the Rhynie chert holds tremendous potential for documenting additional fungal groups, which permits speculation about further interactions with abiotic and biotic components of the environment.

scholarly journals On calibrating the completometer for the mammalian fossil record

Paleobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Indrė Žliobaitė ◽  
Mikael Fortelius
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Mammalian Fossil ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

Abstract We know that the fossil record is incomplete. But how incomplete? Here we very coarsely estimate the completeness of the mammalian record in the Miocene, assuming that the duration of a mammalian species is about 1 Myr and the species diversity has stayed constant and is structurally comparable to the taxonomic diversity today. The overall completeness under these assumptions appears to be around 4%, but there are large differences across taxonomic groups. We find that the fossil record of proboscideans and perissodactyls as we know it for the Miocene must be close to complete, while we might know less than 15% of the species of artiodactyl or carnivore fossil species and only about 1% of primate species of the Miocene. The record of small mammals appears much less complete than that of large mammals.

scholarly journals The five digits of the giraffe metatarsal

2020 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
pp. 699-705
Author(s):  
Laurel R Yohe ◽  
Nikos Solounias
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
The Other ◽  
Micro Computed Tomography ◽  
Common Assumption ◽  
Internal Morphology ◽  
Computed Tomography Scans ◽  
The Common ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

Abstract Evolution has shaped the limbs of hoofed animals in specific ways. In artiodactyls, it is the common assumption that the metatarsal is composed of the fusion of digits III and IV, whereas the other three digits have been lost or are highly reduced. However, evidence from the fossil record and internal morphology of the metatarsal challenges these assumptions. Furthermore, only a few taxonomic groups have been analysed. In giraffes, we discovered that all five digits are present in the adult metatarsal and are highly fused and modified rather than lost. We examined high-resolution micro-computed tomography scans of the metatarsals of two mid and late Miocene giraffid fossils and the extant giraffe and okapi. In all the Giraffidae analysed, we found a combination of four morphologies: (1) four articular facets; (2) four or, in most cases, five separate medullary cavities internally; (3) a clear, small digit I; and (4) in the two fossil taxa of unknown genus, the presence of external elongated grooves where the fusions of digits II and V have taken place. Giraffa and Okapia, the extant Giraffidae, show a difference from all the extinct taxa in having more flattened digits tightly packed together, suggesting convergent highly fused digits despite divergent ecologies and locomotion. These discoveries provide evidence that enhances our understanding of how bones fuse and call into question current hypotheses of digit loss.

scholarly journals In vriendskap met Darwin in die Christelike ontwerp van ’n antropologie?

2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniël P. Veldsman
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Intelligent Design ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Theological Reflection ◽  
Scientific Revolutions ◽  
Christian Perspective ◽  
Evolutionary Science ◽  
The Origin Of Life

In friendship with Darwin in designing an anthropology from a Christian perspective? Best science and best theological reflection – the two belongs together for the sake of both. This is argued for in the exposition of the justification of friendship with Darwin (best science as evolutionary science) which is argumentatively connected from a Christian perspective to the praiseworthiness of God as creator (best theological reflection). Concretely, this implies making theologically sense of the important contemporary contribution of evolutionary biology on the origin of life and the descriptions of life. This endeavour necessitates a critical re-reading not only of Darwinian abuse and misperceptions but also of the larger historical context of the aforegoing scientific revolutions and their aftermath. Therefore, both discourses of abuse on the extreme spectrum of reflection on creation and life are critically addressed, namely creationism or Intelligent Design and bio-fundamentalism. As hermeneutical tool of discernment, the argument of evolutionary re-conceptualisation is unfolded as a distinction between an official story and alternative story to highlight not only the exciting implications of the latter but also especially as act of the de-domestication of our understanding of God as the praiseworthy God of creation.

Taphonomy's contributions to paleobiology

Paleobiology ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-119 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction ◽  
Experimental Process ◽  
Tectonic Settings ◽  
Active Research ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Taphonomic Analysis

Taphonomy established itself in paleontology primarily as a subdiscipline of paleoecology, but it has evolved into a much broader study of the ways in which preservation affects the fossil record. The past decade has seen a change in emphasis from descriptive taphonomic studies of fossil assemblages to more experimental, process-oriented investigations of necrolysis, stratification, and diagenesis of organic remains in modern environments. These actualistic studies are increasing the sophistication of taphonomic analysis in the fossil record by sharpening the diagnosis of bias in paleontological data and by providing a baseline for quantitative modeling of preservational patterns. The analysis of bias is also expanding into the evaluation of temporal resolution in the fossil record (sample acuity, stratigraphic completeness), and taphonomic research is thus contributing to broad-scale problems in evolution, biogeography, and biostratigraphy. In addition, taphonomic studies are providing new insights into paleoenvironmental reconstruction and into the direct paleobiological significance of post mortem processes such as the behavior of scavengers and the role of dead hardparts in structuring benthic communities. One of taphonomy's most promising new frontiers is comparative analysis applied to different taxonomic groups within assemblages and across environments, tectonic settings, and climatic regimes. All of this currently active research is contributing to a better understanding of the fossil record as the result of a dynamic, evolving, integrated system of biological and sedimentological processes that have both limited and enhanced knowledge of Earth history.

scholarly journals The entomological exhibition of a Science museum and its contributions to non-formal Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 43668
Author(s):  
Nathália Cristina Gonzalez Ribeiro ◽  
Débora De Mello Gonçales Sant'Ana
Keyword(s):  
Formal Education ◽  
Fourth Graders ◽  
Science Museum ◽  
Diverse Group ◽  
Natural History Museums ◽  
History Museums ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
And Diffusion ◽  
Lay Public

The Insecta Class is the most diverse group of animals on the planet. A big part of this composition is available in the collections of Natural History Museums, being essential for researches and diffusion actions involving a specialized and lay public. This paper aimed to verify the importance of an entomological exhibition of a Science museum for the acquisition of new knowledge and conception change regarding insects. To this end, 128 fourth-graders from elementary school were asked to draw an insect and write a brief description of it in relation to their knowledge about insects. Then, they visited an entomological exhibition, and a week later, using the "stimulated recollection method", they made a new drawing and description. The extracted data were organized in categories and statistically analyzed. Significant changes were observe regarding the children’s knowledge and concepts on insects in most of the analyzed aspects, such as the decrease of drawings and descriptions of animals belonging to other taxonomic groups and an increase on correct descriptions of concepts.

scholarly journals História da Educação Matemática e a formação de professores primários: ensino de medidas

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 245
Author(s):  
Maria Célia Leme Da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Mathematics Education ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Mathematical Knowledge ◽  
History Of Mathematics ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The Past ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
History Of ◽  
National Literacy ◽  
Siglo Xix

O estudo busca responder às questões: De que maneira o conhecimento da história da educação matemática pode contribuir para as reflexões e desafios postos nos documentos atuais? Para tanto, analisa-se como a medida de superfícies em dois momentos históricos: final do século XIX, período caracterizado pela pedagogia moderna e início do século XXI no âmbito do Plano Nacional de Alfabetização. As fontes examinadas são: Caderno do PNAIC (2014), Parecer de Rui Barbosa (1883) e a Proposta de Gabriel Prestes (1895, 1896). Propõe-se pensar e conhecer os saberes matemáticos elementares do passado em seu contexto histórico, perceber que a institucionalização da expertise participa poderosamente da produção de novos saberes no campo pedagógico, porém seu processo de legitimação, de reconhecimento por seus pares é longo, complexo e conflituoso.Palavras-chave: PNAIC, Rui Barbosa, Gabriel Prestes. Expertise. AbstractThe study seeks to answer the questions: How can the knowledge of the history of mathematics education contribute to the reflections and challenges posed in the current documents? To this end, it is analyzed as the measurement of surfaces in two historical moments: the end of the nineteenth century, a period characterized by modern pedagogy and the beginning of the 21st century within the scope of the National Literacy Plan. The sources examined are: Notebook of the PNAIC (2014), Opinion of Rui Barbosa (1883) and the Proposal of Gabriel Prestes (1895, 1896). It is proposed to think and know the elementary mathematical knowledge of the past in its historical context, to realize that the institutionalization of expertise participates powerfully in the production of new knowledge in the pedagogical field, but its process of legitimation, recognition by its couple is long, complex and conflicting.Keywords: PNAIC, Rui Barbosa, Gabriel Prestes. Expertise.ResumenEl estudio busca responder a las preguntas: ¿De qué manera el conocimiento de la historia de la educación matemática puede contribuir a las reflexiones y desafíos planteados en los documentos actuales? Para ello, se analiza como la medida de superficies en dos momentos históricos: final del siglo XIX, período caracterizado por la pedagogía moderna e inicio del siglo XXI en el marco del Plan Nacional de Alfabetización. Las fuentes examinadas son: Cuaderno del PNAIC (2014), Dictamen de Rui Barbosa (1883) y la Propuesta de Gabriel Prestes (1895, 1896). Se propone pensar y conocer los saberes matemáticos elementales del pasado en su contexto histórico, percibir que la institucionalización de la expertise participa poderosamente de la producción de nuevos saberes en el campo pedagógico, pero su proceso de legitimación, de reconocimiento por sus pares es largo, complejo y complejo, conflicto.Palabras clave: PNAIC, Rui Barbosa, Gabriel Prestes. Expertise.Recebido  

scholarly journals Updates to the checklist of the wild bee fauna of Luxembourg as inferred from revised natural history collection data and fieldwork

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Herrera Mesías ◽  
Alexander Weigand
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Species List ◽  
Wild Bee ◽  
Natural History Collection ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
Collection Data ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

Museums and other institutions curating natural history collections (NHCs) are fundamental entities to many scientific disciplines, as they house data and reference material for varied research projects. As such, biological specimens preserved in NHCs represent accessible physical records of the living world's history. They provide useful information regarding the presence and distribution of different taxonomic groups through space and time. Despite the importance of biological museum specimens, their potential to answer scientific questions, pertinent to the necessities of our current historical context, is often under-explored. The currently-known wild bee fauna of Luxembourg comprises 341 registered species distributed amongst 38 different genera. However, specimens stored in the archives of local NHCs represent an untapped resource to update taxonomic lists, including potentially overlooked findings relevant to the development of national conservation strategies. We re-investigated the wild bee collection of the Zoology Department of the National Museum of Natural History Luxembourg by using morphotaxonomy and DNA barcoding. The collection revision led to the discovery of four species so far not described for the country: Andrena lagopus (Latreille, 1809), Nomada furva (Panzer, 1798), Hoplitis papaveris (Latreille, 1799) and Sphecodes majalis (Pérez, 1903). Additionally, the presence of Nomada sexfasciata (Panzer, 1799), which inexplicably had been omitted by the most current species list, can be re-confirmed. Altogether, our findings increase the number of recorded wild bee species in Luxembourg to 346. Moreover, the results highlight the crucial role of NHCs as repositories of our knowledge of the natural world.

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